Movie Therapy now available on Laurie's blog 

You’ve got your popcorn and your soft drink. The theatre darkens, and you put your drink in the holder next to you, sink back into the cushion of your seat and prepare to lose yourself in that larger world projected onto the big screen. What a sweet indulgence...

• What if you could view your own life with that kind of anticipation and pleasure?
• What if you could see yourself as the star on a fascinating and meaningful quest?
• And what if you could enjoy not knowing how it’s all going to turn out, give it all you’ve got, and trust that the ending is going to be really good?
  

Meet Film Connoisseur - Cecilia Pérez Homar

Cecilia is a native of Puerto Rico, born in 1988 to a family of writers and artists. From the age of fourteen, she has been making her own short films, and now does freelance video for highschool graduations and small weddings. Now studying Communication Arts at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, Cecilia is on her way to becoming a successful television writer. In her spare time, Cecilia loves to watch lots and lots of Golden Girls re-runs.

 Your Life: The Movie

Tips for Viewing Your Life Cinematically

• Know Your Desired Ending(s)! Storyboard it, See it, Let it be BIG. Every good character has a motivation. ALWAYS feel free to edit. Be open to twists, turns and surprises. Practice being the director and the audience.
• Describe the main character. Do a love confession, and list all your favorite quirks (i.e., Harry met Sally)
• Use “bad times”—hangover, when you are “beating yourself up”, boring times, times of loss--as good material. Step out of your head, observe yourself and your surroundings, and describe what’s going on.
• When a crisis comes up, when you are thwarted in some way, remind yourself that this is “plot thickener.”
• Notice the artistic quality of your day, i.e., putting on makeup, arranging the dinner table, the path you walk every day.
• Set your life to music. What music are you drawn to? Where does the music take you? (New York, New York? A hot date?)
• Try critiquing your life as a movie. Does it have heart? Is it boring? Where is it going? If your life was a movie and you were an actor, what kinds of risks would you take?

Movie News

Treat Yourself with a Movie,  -- It's cheaper than therapy

Classy Classics

Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Written and Directed by: Billy Wilder

Starring: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich Von Strohem, and Nancy Olson

Synopsis: In this film-noir classic, Norma Desmond, a diva from the silent era of film, sustains herself on memories and memorabilia in her aging mansion. But her hope for a comeback is stirred by the arrival of Joe Gillis, a broke screenwriter, who has used her seemingly abandoned garage as a hiding place for his car. She provides him sanctuary from his situation in exchange for – well, watch the movie.

As the credits roll, I am left feeling: Entertained by the movie’s snappy dialogue, skillful directing, and sweeping cinematography. Mesmerized by the grand spectacle that was once Hollywood. And taken in, as Joe Gillis was, by a plot line that rewarded curiosity with escalating creepiness. 

Memorable Quote:
Joe Gillis (William Holden): “You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big.”
Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson): “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”

Movie Notes: Though Gloria Swanson may appear at times to be overacting in her role as Norma Desmond, remember that she is playing a silent movie actress whose eyes, facial expressions and gestures were her voice. Buster Keaton, the real silent era actor, played himself as he played bridge with Norma and other old friends.

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